


Under Strings

by ShittySwordsman



Category: One Piece
Genre: Ally issues, Angst, Gen, Hope you enjoy, Nakamaship, Pre-Dressrosa, Self Harm, This took me 2 weeks tbh, angry sanji, cursing, no relationships - Freeform, salty law, self hatred
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-07-03
Updated: 2016-07-03
Packaged: 2018-07-18 08:49:54
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,947
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7308283
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ShittySwordsman/pseuds/ShittySwordsman
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It rubs Sanji in the wrong way when Law chooses to go hungry.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Under Strings

**Author's Note:**

> I don't own One Piece. All characters and settings belong to Eiichiro Oda.

 

As usual, Luffy is the first to dinner.

 

Call it a pre-dinner, considering it is before the food is even ready and Sanji has to sustain Luffy with a loaf of bread- which of course, is eaten in one bite.

"Bread is lame, Sanji! Cook faster!"

Sanji sighs. "If you want the food to taste like shit then I'll do that, but I'd like to spare the pain for the others' sake." He glances up- Luffy is now staring at the giant stew pot of curry with hungry eyes. Sanji has to be sure to watch him closely or the food will be eaten a little too quickly.

"You suuuck." Luffy sticks out his tongue and Sanji rolls his eyes. His captain is such a child. Moments pass by with staring down the curry until a thought piques his attention. "When are we arriving in Dressrosa?"

Sanji smacks his captain's hand away from the lid. "I don't know.. Nami-San said a few hours? Maybe three or four? Go ask her." All he knows is that it's his job feed his crew well before they head into battle. 

"Good enough for me." Luffy tries peeking inside the pot once more- stopped, again, by the cook. "Heh, it'll be fun, won't it? I might get to kick Joker's ass!" Sanji smirks at how casually he says that. He doesn't know what to think of Dressrosa. Knowing it's ruled by a guy connected to that Caesar Clown in any way is pathetic, but islands in the New World surprise him time and time again. "I'm sure you can do it," he laughs, testing the curry one last time.

 

"Yup!" An excited grin from Luffy. "Ooh, is it ready?"

"Yeah, go call in the others."

 

. 

 

Everyone is quick to dinner time, enjoying large servings and laughing with each other. The dinner is exceptionally good according to more than one. The StrawHats are just beginning to adapt to having new guests join them at the table: Kien'mon and Momonosuke. Sanji is sure to feed that freak Ceaser Clown of course, but not anywhere near the dinner table.

A head count tells Sanji someone is missing. _Damn_ _Law_. The man had always shown up late to every meal recently. "Oi, where's Torao?" he asks Luffy specifically, considering he follows him everywhere. That was just the Luffy thing to do when he made a new nakama.

"I dunno," the captain replies absently while grabbing several more servings. "Probably finishing up Torao stuff." 

Sanji sighs. If worst comes to worst he'll drag that damn stickman to dinner to at least eat _something_. He expects Law will arrive though; it is StrawHat tradition to always come to dinner, even if you can't eat a grain of rice. Their tradition is his tradition, and there is no turning back.

 

The dining room door opens before long, and in walks the surgeon of death- sixteen minutes late.

 

Sanji frowns. Law looks grumpy as ever, eye bags more prominent than usual. Doesn't look healthy. Maybe he should've cooked something more nutritious tonight- if the guy would actually eat it.

Law then sits down at the end of the table, next to Robin, and leans Kikoku on the table. Not many acknowledge his presence. And just like yesterday, he grabs a plate, scoops a little rice onto it, lightly pokes at it, and then stares down at his food like it's his mortal enemy. He doesn't bother to smack Luffy's hand away when he steals it all off his plate seconds later. 

 

"Torao, the food is _great_. You should eat some," says captain.

"You say that every meal, Strawhat-ya." Law pokes at the three grains of rice on his now plate. Flicks one off into nowhere in particular- that grain hits Usopp. He then gives up playing with his foods and leans his head on his hand.  

Another couple minutes of absolutely nothing from Law. He doesn't eat a thing.

 

"Oi, you haven't eaten at all yesterday or today. You'll make yourself sick if you keep this up." Maybe Sanji shouldn't be scolding the man, considering they aren't  even nakama, but he feels obligated to. 

Law takes a heavy breath in, and sighs. Looks up at Sanji from across the table.

"Doctor's don't get sick," he says cooly. Robin chuckles at his side pleasantly. 

Sanji frowns. What a way to avoid a question. "Don't pull that shit with me, Torao. Why aren't you eating? If you don't like the food I can make you something else, but I'm not leaving a single person on this ship unfed." Several others glance over, attention piqued when he says this. "We're arriving in Dressrosa soon, you need your energy."

Saying that put an even deeper frown on Law's face. He doesn't answer. 

"Torao. I'm not letting you starve yourself to death on board our ship, got that?"

 

"I'll do what I want."

 

"Not at the dinner table, you won't."

 

Law narrows his eyes. "If that's the case then I won't be joining any of you for dinner again."  

"Cut the _fucking act_ and eat!"

 

Sanji later admits to himself that might have been a bit... Impulsive. But Law was just being so _ridiculous_. Several others around the table grow deadly silent at the outburst. Kien'mon covers Momonosuke's ears. Luffy watches closely with intense eyes, evidently deciding against involving himself in the argument.

Law stares Sanji down with dark eyes. "Then maybe you should serve a more palatable meal than this _shit_ , Black-leg-ya."

 

That _bastard_.

 

Sanji immediately stands up from his seat. Usopp tenses as the tips of his blond hair catch fire. "O-Oi, guys, you can stop now.." Chopper vigorously nods in agreement, wide-eyed.

The dinner table is completely silent. Sanji clenches his jaw.

"Tell me what to do again and I'll skewer your head to the mast," Law glares up at the cook, arms crossed. It is obvious that he was angry, but his collectivity says differently. Now, almost as soft as a whisper: "Leave me alone." Law creates a room and is gone in a flash, leaving a very aggravated Sanji. He _hates_ it when Law does that. 

He left his sword behind. The fire in Sanji's hair mollifies to thin streams of smoke.

No one says a word. 

Sanji and Law do not fight that often, surprisingly. The cook can recall two instances at most when they had gotten into minor arguments, interrupted often by one of the others. The man had gotten along well with Luffy's crew. Maybe he didn't completely understand them, and he probably didn't appreciate them accidentally ramming into him while rough housing throughout the day. But that Law wasn't _this_ Law- and in Sanji's eyes, this Law is a dick.

Someone finally breaks the silence that follows: it's Nami. "One hell of an ally to deal with... But Sanji-kun, you could have been less demanding. You know he's been more irritable than usual lately." 

Sanji breaths out exhaustedly, realizing his fists are both clenched tightly. He sits back down at the table.

"I know, Nami-san." He quickly remembers months of starvation, sitting alone with the beating sun and emptiness and wishing for either death or the faded ship in the distance- either was salvation.

_Why would someone not eat for two days straight when food is right in front of them, within reach?_

"I just don't understand," Sanji admits absently.

Sanji's history with starvation is no news to the StrawHat crew. Several look away sympathetically. After finishing his meal well before the others, Luffy finally leans back in his chair and rubs at his belly thoughtfully.

"Torao has been acting strange," Luffy says, licking his fingers. "I wonder what's wrong."

Zoro shrugs and takes a drink of his sake. "Your friend is being stubborn as usual, that's what's wrong."

" _Super_ stubborn," Franky adds, lifting his hands together above his head for emphasis.

Luffy tenses. "I just hope he'll keep eating with us. Do ya think I should talk to him?"

"I'll bust it out of him, Luffy," declares Nami, already standing up. 

"Wait a minute, Nami-san," Sanji interjects. The table is silent. Although that swordsman was being ridiculously stubborn and grumpy, maybe Sanji was egging him on a little bit. He still didn't understand why now was the perfect time for him to not eat, right when he needed the energy most, but maybe he can find out why. Law wasn't the most accepting of confrontation like this, but it's worth a try. "It was also my fault.. I'll try to talk to him about it."

Usopp grimaces at that. "And I expect you'll be in one piece when you come back..?"

"I'm hoping we won't find you dead!" Brook chimes in.

Robin chuckles. "That would be unfortunate."

"Tell Torao I said hi!" That is from Luffy.

Thankfully Sanji is relaxed again. He regrets pushing Law, so maybe talking to him will be worth it. "Thanks," he laughs. "Don't worry."

.

.

 

It is a surprise to find Law in the crow's nest, out of all places on the Thousand Sunny.

 

The swordsman hadn't bothered to explore half of the ship, especially not dwelling into territory reserved mainly for Zoro and his weights. The crew had tried their best to help Law feel comfortable on their ship, yet it was seemingly hopeless.

Sanji was able to finally locate the man by using haki. Took a good fifteen minutes of searching, too.

 

He lifts the hatchet to the luxurious Crow's Nest and peeks his head in. The room is unlit, dark. A figure can be seen sitting quietly at the side of the room, hunched over with his chin resting on his hands as if he were thinking deeply. His eyes lock with the blond's immediately as he enters the room. 

Sanji hadn't really considered rehearsing at all. "Uh.. Hey." A bad decision.

Law looks ahead again, almost entirely ignoring him.

 _Okay_.

Sanji swallows back anything negative. "Mind if I join you?" 

After a moments pause:

"Ask me anymore questions about the food I eat and the answer is no."

Sanji smirks and sits at Law's side, not too closely to avoid invading his privacy. A casual distance. Neither of them say anything. The silence is surprisingly not that uncomfortable, considering the circumstances.

"Mind if I smoke?" Sanji asks, quietly for a reason unknown.

"I don't mind."

Sanji lights a cigarette and sighs contently. It'd probably be a good time to cut to the chase.

"Sorry about earlier," he finally says, unsure as to where this was going. Hopefully it will end with some food in the guy's stomach. "I knew you were irritable and I pushed it." He adds the last part hoping for Law to give him an explanation to his behavior.

Law sighs. "Don't worry about it, Black-leg-ya." He says nothing more.

 _Nice way to carry a conversation, Torao._  The next silence is awkward; Sanji fiddles with his cigarette absently. "We'll be arriving in Dressrosa soon. You need energy." Okay, Law had told him not to talk about the food issue, but did that count at all?

"I have energy," Law snaps. Apparently that did count.

"...I mean sleep-wise," Sanji corrects. "You look like you haven't slept in a week."

Law glances over at the man with calculating eyes.

"I suppose you're right about that. I haven't gotten much," he admits. "Insomniac reasons. ...It's been hard getting any knowing I'll be seeing that bastard soon." The last part he says with hesitance.

Sanji takes a drag of his cigarette. Maybe he could see where this is going. "You hate that man ruling Dressrosa."

Law furrows his brows. "You don't understand."

"Of course I don't. But everyone on the ship can see from a mile away you hate him with every inch of your living soul."

Law snickers. "Something like that."

Sanji rolls his eyes. "Every time his name is mentioned, you look like you're out to kill someone. It even scared Chopper once." He frowns. He may have a few ideas as to what the hell is wrong with Trafalgar Law. "...Nervous?"

"Of course not."

Somehow Sanji doubted that. He may not be the brightest Strawhat (though not as naive as some), but Law is definetly hiding something. Sanji looks at him seriously now, putting his cigarette out on the bench they sit on. "Look at me."

Sanji's straightforwardness leaves him taken aback. Law hesitantly meets his eye. Sanji notices just how graven he really looks; He can see wisdom, strength, and weakness. He can see pain.

"Food is not something to take for granted. ...A very long time ago, I was the kind of kid who wasted food and looked down on the starving." Law remains quiet and politely listens. "Heh. Karma bit me in the ass after that. I guess you could say I changed completely when I met an old geezer who I still respect greatly."

"Anyway, one thing led to another and I ended up stranded on a rock with the guy for months. Only got by with a week's worth of food. It was miserable- at the time death seemed like an favorable escape from the reality I was forced into." Sanji pauses. He hadn't told this story to many, so he appreciated Law's undivided attention. 

"Obviously, I survived. It was painful, but I'm thankful for it because I've changed. Food is something everybody deserves, and I can't bear seeing someone go hungry when I can help. Look- I don't know what you're hiding, but I want to understand. You haven't eaten for _two fucking days_. You look like a wreck. I hate to say this, but I'm worried about you. And you should be the one I'm _least_ worried about, along with Luffy."

Making Law this nervous was probably a grand achievement in many books. Sanji didn't avert his eyes for a second, even after Law looks down to an apparently interesting spot on the floor.

And he sighs once again. "That would explain why you were on my heels about the food I ate." 

He pauses.

"I don't want what I'm about to tell you to leave this room."

.

.

.

Sanji hadn't expected Law to begin his story with the past.

The man had found little relevance to why the surgeon of death was acting so strangely, why it had mattered at all. Yet as the story progressed, Sanji had smiled at happy moments and frowned at the lesser. He had even laughed, hearing about Corozon being the absent-minded fool he was. 

Out of all things however, he hadn't expected to hate the man called Doflamingo.

Sanji needs another cigarette. Law still doesn't mind when he smokes. There is less tension in the air, now, as the man finishes his story. It's clear he had told this to very few people.

And it ends with the click of a gun. 

Sanji shouldn't feel so infuriated that such a shitty man would kill his brother when it has absolutely nothing to do with him. He shouldn't feel sorry when Law speaks the last word with a pathetic voice crack. Being the type of man he is, Law recovers quickly and concludes with: 

"The past is the past. I'm over it."

Sanji definetly shouldn't be doubting that. By this time, now, the two are comfortable with each other's company. Law leans back into the bench and Sanji huffs out a smoke cloud. It was a rarity seeing the guy not so... Tense. So there was more to him  than Sanji had thought.

"Not much to hear after that. I guess one can say I'm stuck in a ever so convenient mixture of depression and worry," Law admits. 

So apparently Trafalgar Law isn't as cocky as it's said, either. Huh.

"Why are you doing this to yourself?" 

Law frowns and stares at the floor. "I'd rather not say. Trust me, Black-leg-ya, if I could stomach food right now, I would."

Sanji furrows his brows at that. He doubts the man would give in and tell him, so he doesn't bother to ask. "It sounds like you need someone to talk to about it."

"You're making this sentimental."

Sanji raises a brow. "And you're avoiding the point. I don't know what I can do, but I _want_ to do something. Like I said, I can't stand seeing you hungry like this. You need help from someone."

Law scowls. "Shut up." Sanji smirks. This guy kind of reminds him of his immature captain. Law eyes Sanji's cigarettes as if they were long lost friends. "You can help by giving me a smoke."

It takes a moment for Sanji to process that. "Oh.. Uh, alright. If you get addicted, Luffy won't like it." 

"Just this once," Law mumbles, lighting one of Sanji's cigarettes. Neither of them say a thing as he breaths out a cloud of smoke and sighs softly. "Just forget I said anything. We'll be 'Kicking his ass,' as Strawhat-ya likes to say. It will be over. That is, if he doesn't die."

Sanji smiles. "You shouldn't be worried about him. He's come across every obstacle thrown at him. I believe in him."

"You don't know Doflamingo's power. He could quite possibly be the strongest opponent Strawhat-ya's ever fought." His brows are furrowed. 

"And you don't know _Luffy's_ power. Don't tell me this is something you're actually worried about?" 

Law says nothing. 

Sanji smirks. "Looks like you made a friend, huh?"

"Fuck off, Black-leg-ya! I shouldn't have let you in here." 

"It's my ship, dumbass," Sanji laughs. His eyes have adjusted enough to see the man smile. It's reassuring. 

 

 _I_ _guess_ _that's_ _all_ _you_ _really_ _needed_ , _huh_?

 

 

 

Screw the "Surgeon of Death" shit.

 


End file.
